Welcome to Art With Mrs. Smith!

Katie Smith
[email protected]
440-974-5344

Background information:

This is my 16th year teaching art, with the past 9 years being at Mentor High School. I have taught a variety of art courses and all grades, K-12! I love my job and having the opportunity to introduce and explore various types of media with my students and helping them find their strengths in art.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from Kent State University, where I majored in Art Education with a minor in Studio Arts.  I continued my studies at Kent State to earn a Master’s of Education.

Philosophy:

My goal as a teacher is to help students become creative individuals and critical thinkers. I strive to increase student motivation and understanding of the arts while developing awareness of how the arts are integrated into the world around them.  Much of art deals with problem solving and skills that are applicable to other subject areas, jobs, and everyday life. The most important thing that I want students to take away from art class is their own personal growth.

Fine Art Courses (sequential/prerequisite required)

The Fine Art Program is designed for personal enrichment and to help artists develop a cohesive portfolio. The fine art track provides students with in-depth experiences in a variety of traditional art media including drawing, painting and printmaking techniques and skills while exploring new media, materials and processes. Students will build knowledge about professional practices and practicing artists in their field, and take an inside look at careers in art, and how creativity shapes our lives every day.

To learn more about the curriculum and the art courses offered, visit Mentor High School’s program of studies.

Digital Portfolios:

Student work is photographed throughout the year and added to an ongoing digital portfolios through Google Slides and Schoology. It is important for students to keep up with their portfolios in order to show progression of their art and their thought process behind their work. Information about what should be included in their portfolios and how they are graded is shared in class but also can be found on our class Schoology pages. Make sure to ask your child about their portfolio so you can see what they have been working on!